Melt away ugly green stains from your fence with kitchen item that 'kills algae'

06 March 2024 , 11:54

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There is an easy way to remove the algae stains (Image: Getty Images/EyeEm)

Garden fences can make or break how put together your garden looks - no one wants to be looking at an ugly and stained wooden fence.

As spring is fast approaching, it's time to start pruning and prepping your garden ahead of the sunnier days coming - and after a bleak winter, it's no surprise our gardens are in need of some attention. If you spent endless hours prepping, painting and polishing your fence last summer, it can be rather frustrating to see a build-up of algae and ugly green stains all over it.

While they are great for privacy and are a lot more warming than metal fences, no one wants their fence to be covered in algae patches. One gardener was so fed up looking at the stains, that she asked others for advice on how to remove them - and people were quick to suggest a clever trick to banish them for good.

The woman was so fed up with her fence covered in marks, that she took to the popular Gardening UK Facebook page to ask for advice from fellow gardeners and asked: "How can I get rid of this green algae on our fence? I have tried mould and mildew remover and also, sanding it down and retreating, but it still comes back."

She then attached a photo of her fence, and she shared how the majority of the panels on the fence were covered in green algae. Coming to her rescue, people started to offer their top tips on how to battle it., the Express reports. And the most common solution appeared to be white vinegar.

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One Facebook user suggested: "White vinegar mixed with hot water and work it in with a brush and leave for 30 mins or more, then house down. Repaint when dry with good-quality fence paint. Normally this happens when a fence is in the shade most of the day, less of a problem in full sun."

Another echoed this and added: "Vinegar in a spray bottle, spray it on, leave and it will get rid of the green stains in a few days. I've done all my decking and fences last week, starting to see a difference already," and a third penned: "Definitely white vinegar. Easiest and most effective way to get rid of it."

Others urged the gardener to not reach for the bleach, although it may be tempting, they wrote: "Please don't use bleach in the garden, it kills a lot more than the mould. Use white vinegar instead, it just kills the algae."

Niamh Kirk